Transportable containers for the handling of light-weight bulk materials



Oct. 1, 1963 Filed April 5, 1961 v. ngnnfa'; Isl,

FELLDIN K. F. TRANSPORTABLE CONTAINERS FOR THE HANDLING OF LIGHT-WEIGHTBULK' MATERIALS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 24 /N VE N TOI? sa Kar/ Fredrik Fel/dm24 by WC ATTORNEY Oct. 1, 1963 K. F. FELLDIN 3,105,617

TRANSPORTABLE CONTAINERS FOR THE HANDLING OF LIGHT-WEIGHT BULK MATERIALS2 SheetsSheet 2 Filed April 5, 1961 Fig. 4

/N VEN TOI? Karl Fredrik Fel/din by fdd QCM ATTORNEY United StatesPatent O 3,105,517 TRANSPORTABLE CONTAINERS FR THE HAN- DLING FLIGHT-WEIGHT BULK MATERHALS Karl Fredrik Felidin, Stockholm, Sweden,assigner, by mesne assignments, to Lund SA., hilly-Lausanne,Switzeriand, a company of Switzerland Filed Apr. 5, 1961, Ser. No.100,882 4.- Ciaims. (Cl. 222-185) This invention generally relates totransportable containers. More particularly, this invention relates totnansportable containers for the handling of light-weight bulkmaterials.

Background -In recent times several types of containers for transportingand handling of bulk materials have been put on the market. Thesegenerally comprise rectangular or cylindrical containers of sheet metalprovided with a cover having an opening for iilling and releasableshutters or outlet means near the [bottom for emptying. Containers ofthis type, provided with slots or legs at the bottom can be handled bymeans of fork-lift trucks. Containers provided with rings or lugs at thetop can be handled by hoisting means. rFhey can be transported by roadvehicle yas well as by train. However, in using such container-s it isoften diicult to either completely empty them or to completely ill thembecause of the langle of repose which the bulk materials take within thecontainers (particularly li-ghtweight, pulverized bulk material).Consequently, it has usually been found necessary to employ shakin-g orvibrating means in conjunction with such containers -in order to eithercompletely iill or emp-ty them.

Another disadvantage of these containers is that since they areconstructed of sheet metal, Itheir weight is often quite 4high inrelation to the light-weight bulk material contained therein, and thisdisproportionate amount of weight results in rather high lfreightcharges.

ln `order to overcome the weight problems of containers, prior artworkers have suggested constructing the containers of light-weightlexiblel material. However, the primary di'culty with such containers isthat -they are difhcult to stack and frequently diicult to shift ffromone location to another. Such containers have therefore not beenparticularly successful.

Objects It -is accordingly a primary object of this invention to providea transport container for bulk materials which may :be easily handled:by a number of transporting means.

I-t is also an object of this invention to provide an essentiallydustfree filling and emptying container for the handling of particulatematerial.

It is -another object of this invention to provide a ilexiblle cargocontainer which is provided with inea-ns for retaining the container ina desi-red shape.

Still another object of this invention is .to provi-de a cargo containerwhich may be -iilled and emptied without Vibration or shaking.

Another object of this invention is to provide a lightweight, easilytransportable and low cost cargo container which rnay be adapted to useywhenever a container is needed for the transportation of nely dividedor pulverulent material.

These and other objects and advantages will Ibecome more apparent afterreading the following description in conjunction with the drawings.

The Invention Broadly In its very broadest concept it is believed thatthe trans- Eddie-i7 Patented Get. l, 1%63 ICC port container of thepresent invention can be considered as comprising:

(a) A generally tubular passageway constructed of eidble nonrigidmaterial,

(b) A lower container section connected to and located above saidpassageway and diverging upwandly and outwardly therefnoin,

(c) Said lower container section being constructed of flexible non-rigidmaterial,

(d) A main container section connected to and disposed above said lowercontainer section,

(e) Said main container section being enclosed within a rigid framework.

The Invention More Specifically The invention will now be described moreparticularly with reference to the attached drawings wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a transport container `in accordancewith this invention;

FIGURES 2, 2A and 2B are perspective views of related types of suitablerigid irameworks in accordance Iwith the invention; Y

`FIGURE 3 is a perspective view oi the present invention as it willyappear in its filled or lling condition and in conjunction ywith apallet device;

FIGURE 4 is a perspective view showing the embodiment of FIGURE 3 ias it'Will appear when the container is being emptied;

FIGURE 5 is a cutaway perspective view of the rib and rim connectorsystem shown in FIGURE 3;

FIGURE 6 is a cutaway perspective view of an alternative rib connectorarrangement;

FIGURE 7 is a cutaway perspective view of Ianother rib connector system.

Referring now to FIGURE l there is shown a contain-er 10, laugelycomprised of lflexible, collapsible, clothlike material and comprising agenerally tubular passageway 14, a lower container section l', amain'conta'iner section 24, yan upper container section 16 and an upperpassageway 12.

The tubular passageway Ilil is preferably orf rather small cross sectionas compare-d to kthe other aforementioned elements of the container 10.'The lower container section 18 is connected t-o said passageway andydiver'ges upwardly and outwardly therefrom. The main container section24 is connected to and disposed above said lower container section 18and although the lower container section 1-8 is shown to have thegeneral coniiguna-tion or an inverted pyramid, it will be appreciatedIthat this lower container section 18 could just as well be conical inconguration or of circular or elliptical cross section. The lowercontainer section v18 may be designed with various slopes depending uponthe .angle of repose off the bulk material to be transported and alsodepending upon :the nature of `the material to 'be transported. Properselection of the slope or the lower container section 1S will insureconiplete'removal of all of the material within the container bygravitational forces. Upper container section i6 is joined to andlocated above said main container section 24 and this upper containersection converges inwardly as it rises until it merges into passageway12. Adjacent the juncture 'of the lower container section land the maincontainer section, and adjacent the juncture of the upper containersection with the main container section Ithere are provided a pluralityof connector ribs 22 and 20 respectively. The connector ribs 22 and 20are preferably made of rigid material, in contnast to the ilexible,collapsible, cloth-like material oct the remaining portions ofvthecontainer 10 and the function of these ribs will be explainedhereinaiter. Y

The vmain container section 24 of FIGURE 1 is designed to be laterallysupported and yenclosed within a rigid 3 framework. Such a rigidframework is shown in FIG- URE 2 and is seen to comprise upper supportrims 26 and corresponding lower support rims 28, between which aredisposed vertical support frame members 30 so that a rigid supportframework having four lateral rectangular sides is formed. As shown,wire mesh or an equivalent type of a metal network can be disposediaround the lateral sides of said rigid framework. Attached to theltopcorners of said support frame are a plurality of eyelets 32, whichpermit the entire framework .to be lifted by a hoist arrangement whendesired. It will also be observed that at the bottom lof the rigidframework there are provided a plurality of pins 34 (preferably at thecorners of the framework) which pins are designed to lit intocorresponding cavities provided in a pallet or other similar base.

FIGURES 2A `and 2B show other types of rigid frameworks which might beused in place of the rigid framework shown iin FIGURE 2. For example,.the rigid `framework in FIGURE 2A is quite similar to that shown inFIGURE 2, except that the lateral sides of the framework have beencovered with light-weight plywood or other equivalent fairly rigid platematerial so as to function in essentially the same manner as the wirenetwork in FIG- URE 2. Also, in FIGURE 2B `a rigid framework consistingof a plurality of rods lor pipes 29 and 31 which are adapted to bethreaded or otherwise connected into corner couplings 33 is provided.

The rigid Iframework may be circular or elliptical in cross section ifdesired.

FIGURE 3 shows the framework of FIGURE 2 and the container of FIGURE 1as they will 'appear when the entire assembly is in a position forreceiving bulk material. In this ligure upper passageway y12 is shown ina position such that it may he secured in a gas-tight relationship withthe feeding `tube of la storage container (not shown), thereby allowingfilling of the container lll without leakage. rThe upper containersection 16 is shown in its upwardly extended position .land theconnector ribs 20 lare shown as being engaged with the support rims 26of the rigid framework. Likewise the lower connector ribs 22 are shownas #being engaged with the lower support rims 28 in such a manner thatthe main container body 24 is retained in vertically extended position.The bottom of the rigid framework is shown as being attached to a pallet44 and it will be seen that the lower container section 18 and lowerpassageway 14 are collapsed and compressed into a planar positionagainst Ythe pallet. The lower passageway 14 is shown to be closed bymeans of clamp 45.

FIGURE 4 is a view of the transport container in its discharge position.For example, after the pallet supporting the framework land thecontainer suspended within said framework has been transported ibymeansof a lift truck yor the like from the loading area to an unloadingarea, it will be seen that the container and framework assembly 'can belifted to a discharging position by hook #lll `and chain 3S actingthrough the hook receiving eyelet 42 and -l-ift chains 36 which areattached to the framework by means of iframe eyelets 32. Whenever theframework is hoisted upwardly in this fashion the framework will becomedetached from pallet 44 as the pallet retaining pins 34 are lifted fromthe pin receiving cavities 6l) located in said pallet. The hoisting ofthe framework above the pallet will allow the lower container section 18and lower passageway 14 to extend in a downward position, therebyallowing the passageway 14 to be brought into a discharging position.The extended passageway 14 may be lconnected to a storage receptacleopening (not shown). The passageway 12 `is closed by clamp' 47 andcollapsed with upper `container section 16 into approximately theposition shown.

FIGURE is an enlarged fragmentary section view illustrating the mannerin which the connector rib 2l) cooperatively engages with the rimsupport 26. Connector rib iis preferably made of rigid material and isattached to the container body 24 iby means of one or moreV 2B, sincethe rims 29 could be detached from couplingsV 33, passed through loops54, then engaged with couplings n In FIGURE 7 still another'suitabletype of connector device is shown whereby the lower part of uppercontainer section 16 and the upper part of container body 24 arek joinedtogether into an extended flap, which flap is then attached to supportrim 26 by means of bolts 52 or 'other' suitable fastening means.

While the above detailed description yof several embodi-y ments willexemplify the nature of the invention, it is c recognized that numerousother variations could be made as to details of construction. It shouldbe obvious that the framework of the support iframe 'could be varied toa cylindrical shape or could be provided with an additional type of`handling means to meet la specific purpose. 'l'lhe framework lmightalso be collapsible to facilitate handling of empty containers. Itshould also be obvious that the attachment of the support framework tothe pallet could be accomplished by means of hinges `or |other suchconnections so that complete detachment of the pallet would be obvi-atedin the emptying process. Also, the flexible, collapsible, cloth-likematerial mentioned may comprise fabric made of natural @or syntheticfibers, and fabrics impregnated or reinforced with plastic or resinousmaterials.

In general it will be understood that the choice of the* fabric-likematerial should also be made with regard to both the nature of the -bulkmaterial and the volumeweight ratio of the goods to the desired capacityof the container. Reinforcing strips of heavier material canbe employedas desired or necessary.

\ t is believed that the invention can be illustrated by th followingclaims.

I claim: v l. A por-table shipping device for transporting owable solidbulk materials which comprises lin combination:

(a) a generally tubular lower passageway primarily constructed offlexible, non-rigid material, (b) a lower container section primarilyconstructed of flexible, non-rigid material, said lower containersection being connected to and located above said passageway anddiverging upwardly and outwardly therefronrwhen the shipping device isin its unloading position,

(c) a main container section having side walls constructed of flexible,non-rigid material and disposed directly above said lower containersection,

(d) the side walls of said main container section being laterally andvertically supported by separate rigid framework located exterior to theinterior of said main `container section and therefore out of direct vcontact with said ilowable solid bulk materials,v

(e) the lower end of said separate rigid framework bet ing detachablysupported upon a pallet device, the upper planar surface of said palletdevice serving to support fully downward load ofthe bulk materialsduring filling, transporting and storing operations, the` lowercontainer section thereby being supported in a collapsed position on thesurface of the pallet, and (f) an inlet means in the upper portion ofsaid main, container section for the introduction of flowable solid bulkmaterials during loading operations.

2. The combination as set for-th in claim 1 wherein the upper horizontalmembers -of said rigid framework are detacha-bly yconnected to the upperportion of said main 3,105,617 5 6 container section so as toeffectively prevent relative move- 4. The portable shipping deviceaccording to claim 1 ment therebetween during loading and unloadingoperiawherein said flexible, non-rigid material comprises woven tions.fabric.

3. The combination as set Iforth in claim 1 `wherein said inlet meanscomprises an upper container section com- 5 References Cited in the fue0f 'fhlS Patent posed of exible, non-rigid material having its lower endt UNITED STATES PATENTS attached to ythe upper periphery of said maincontainer Y section `and having its upper end attached to a ygenerally2222083 Lmtz NOV' 19 1940

1. A PORTABLE SHIPPING DEVICE FOR TRANSPORTING FLOWABLE SOLID BULKMATERIALS WHICH COMPRISES IN COMBINATION: (A) A GENERALLY TUBULAR LOWERPASSAGEWAY PRIMARILY CONSTRUCTED OF FLEXIBLE, NON-RIGID MATERIAL, (B) ALOWER CONTAINER SECTION PRIMARILY CONSTRUCTED OF FLEXIBLE, NON-RIGIDMATERIAL, SAID LOWER CONTAINER SECTION BEING CONNECTED TO AND LOCATEDABOVE SAID PASSAGEWAY AND DIVERGING UPWARDLY AND OUTWARDLY THEREFROMWHEN THE SHIPPING DEVICE IS IN ITS UNLOADING POSITION, (C) A MAINCONTAINER SECTION HAVING SIDE WALLS CONSTRUCTED OF FLEXIBLE, NON-RIGIDMATERIAL AND DISPOSED DIRECTLY ABOVE SAID LOWER CONTAINER SECTION, (D)THE SIDE WALLS OF SAID MAIN CONTAINER SECTION BEING LATERALLY ANDVERTICALLY SUPPORTED BY SEPARATE RIGID FRAMEWORK LOCATED EXTERIOR TO THEINTERIOR OF SAID MAIN CONTAINER SECTION AND THEREFORE OUT OF DIRECTCONTACT WITH SAID FLOWABLE SOLID BULK MATERIALS,